Sony PS4: What we know now

Feb. 25, 2013 | 1:45 p.m.

Mark Cerny, lead system architect for Sony's PlayStation 4, talks up the new PS4, promising more "personalized" gaming at the Feb. 20 Sony announcement in New York.
MORE:PS4: What we know now (Emmanuel Dunand / AFP / Getty Images)

Sony's Andrew House at the announcement, which was the first major PlayStation meeting in more than two years. The last was in January 2011 to unveil the prototype for the PlayStation Vita handheld console. (Emmanuel Dunand / AFP / Getty Images)

It’s nearly been a week since Sony partly lifted the veil on its long-awaited PlayStation 4 with a lengthy demonstration of some of the hardware and games expected to land in stores by the end of the year. Now Sony has released even more details about the console and upcoming titles.

Although no one but Sony knows what the PS4’s console actually will look like or how much the PS4 will sell for, several fan concerns have been addressed. The PS4 will not require an Internet connection to play games, a worry among fans who have observed the creeping ubiquity of digital rights management and online passes. In the same vein, the PS4 will not block used games.

DRM is a blanket term for a variety of measures to limit the use of devices or content after the point of sale, such as allowing a game to be installed only a certain number of times. Online passes are a newer strategy by publishers to discourage purchases of second-hand games by making certain parts of the game exclusive to those who buy new copies.

Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida said whether to allow the playing of second-hand games was up to game publishers.

“It’s a publisher decision. We are not talking about it. Sorry,” he told GameSpot.

What the PS4 won’t be compatible with, as confirmed by Yoshida, is the Dualshock 3 controller, which will be phased out in favor of the new Dualshock 4. But as demonstrated by Media Molecule’s tech demonstration during Sony’s conference, the PlayStation Move controller will be PS4 compatible. And taking a page from the release of the Xbox 360, Sony will bundle a headset with every PS4.

And what about the games? The recently announced “Killzone: Shadow Fall,” which appears to be the system’s flagship shooter, has been confirmed by developer Guerrilla Games to be a launch title. And in a surprise to no one, “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” has been confirmed by developer CD Projekt Red to be eventually landing on the PS4.

In addition to games that have already been announced, Sony has released an extensive list of studios and developers that have jumped on board the PS4 platform, from major players such as Bethesda Softworks and Take-Two Interactive to up-and-coming studios such as Platinum Games and Klei Entertainment.

And unlike the previous console cycle, the launch of the PS4 won’t be accompanied by a jump in the cost of games. PS4 titles will range from free to play to $60 for full retail releases, as confirmed by Sony Computer Entertainment Chief Executive Jack Tretton.

Of course you're not going to be able to play with ps3 people. As is with any new type of console. You don't see ps2 people playing with ps3, do you? (Didn't think so) Also if any of you would have been paying any attention to what is being said.. [It is NOT going to be Backwards Compatible] Which in return that means they will be keeping the Ps3 around for longer just as they did with the Ps2.